Air strikes to Iran or what?

What would be the political impact on the presidential election of another war? Sure would be an effective red herring.

I dunno.
Just asking.

It has always been very stupid to bet against America being unable to bounce back. We strike Iran and there's a lot of happy Sunni dictatorships and one very estatic Israel, all of whom will go out of their way to show some thanks and gin up an appropriately grateful PR blitz. Much sand gets kicked up and even if we don't set Iran's nuke program back at all (highly likely), we've sent our signal (our failures in postwar Iraq don't mean our Leviathan still can't bomb at will).

We're so freaked out over Ahmadinejad's "messiah returning" complex when our president has just as strong religious beliefs, a clear sense that time is running out on his term, and he's actually--unlike Ahmadinejad's weak presidential position--got the power to execute his will--and a real record of doing it.

(...)

I mean, if Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Tehran all want it to happen, who are we to say no?

Thomas P.M. Barnett link.

Via John Robb.